Raul Castro Extols Regional Agreement

Cuban President Raul Castro said on Tuesday that the decision adopted in the Summit of Unity to create the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States has great historical significance.

LatAm Presidents Go for Unity

Cuba considers that conditions are in place to advance rapidly towards creating a purely Latin American and Caribbean regional organization to gather and represent the 33 independent nations of the region, he said.

In his speech during the final session of the summit, the Cuban president added that celebration in Caracas of the next summit in 2011 would be a bright opportunity to conclude the work to prepare the organization and make it operational.

To be an independent nation is an indispensable requirement to join this body, which will be characterized by the respect for cultural diversity and for the different geographic and economic dimensions, the political system adopted by each country, the natural riches disparity and the different social development, he added.

He expressed hope for the document setting up this body to be efficiently drafted to be presented in the next summit and said his country will work hard for this purpose.

Raul Castro appreciated the approval of a special document demanding the end of the unfair US economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, as well as the solidarity towards his country expressed in this summit.

He started his speech with a fraternal message from the Cuban people to Mexico, a country that gave shelter to many Latin Americans, including the pioneers of the Cuban Revolution.